The Crocker's Summer of ImpressionismGardens and Grandeur: Porcelains and Paintings by Franz A. Bischoff

What a treat awaits you in the expansive galleries of Sacramento's Crocker Museum. Their summer of Impressionism is in full swing with exhibits from the Bank of America Collection, the Brooklyn Museum, and the paintings and porcelains of Franz Bischoff .

Franz Bischoff Roses, c 1912 Crocker Museum

Photo Franz Bischoff in studio with paintings of roses

Early in his painting career, Franz Bischoff established for himself a reputation as "King of the Rose Painters." These floral still lifes were magnificent, presenting roses in all their delicacy, grace, and beauty. His paintings were dazzling to the eye, almost to the point that you could smell the roses as well as see them. And, he applied his fascination with roses both on canvas and ceramics, creating dazzling vases daringly meant to bear the images of Bischoff's roses along with bouquets of the real thing.

But artistically, Bischoff did not build a creative box he could not escape. As an artist, he was willing to reinvent himself. Later in his career, after a move to California, he painted the California landscape, achieving images as beautiful and stunning as his rose paintings.

Examples of both are now at the Crocker Museum, leaving the viewer in awe of the wonder created by this wonderful Austrian immigrant.

Young Bischoff was born in Austria in 1864 and immigrated to America as a teen, living in New York, Ohio, and eventually in Deerborn, Michigan. As a young artist in Austria, he was trained in design, watercolor, and ceramic decorations. In America, he put his talents to work, finding great artistic success with his rose paintings.

At age 36, he visited California and decided to make a move. He settled in Los Angeles in 1906 and embarked on designing and building his dream home and studio, an Italian Renaissance styled home in Pasadena.

The now seasoned artist found the California landscape invigorating and challenging. He traveled the state capturing brilliant light, composition and color in his landscapes. He painted farms, rustic wharfs, and the ever changing and dynamic seascapes. He always showed a reverence for nature, and gave his viewers entree to the California experience.

Although his paintings are impressionist in nature, some critics have suggested his use of vivid color shows hints of Fauvism. But for the average viewer, his California landscapes are as colorful and compelling as his still lifes of roses. It is easy to recognize a Bischoff painting.

Franz Bischoff died in Pasadena in 1929, but his paintings live on, and certainly his landscapes have become part of California's heritage.

Franz Bischoff Emerald Cove (China Cove Point Lobos, CA)

Franz Bischoff San Pedro Fishing Boats

The Crocker's current exhibition, Gardens and Grandeur: Porcelains and Paintings by Franz A. Bischoff runs through October 23, and is the third leg of the Crocker's Summer of Impressionism.

Also on exhibit are Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism, featuring impressionist paintings from the Brooklyn Museum through SEPTEMBER 18, and Transcending Vision: American Impressionism, 1870–1940 through September 25. Visit the Crocker's website to learn more.

It's a real step back in time, Gottardo Piazzoni's famed tonalist murals of California's early days. In total, Piazzoni created 14 murals for the San Francisco Library. The first ten were completed and installed in 1932. In 1945, he created his final four murals. Today, the original ten are on permanent display at San Francisco's de Young Museum,

The Mountain

Night

Dawn

The Forest

Gottardo Piazzoni in the 1930's

and the final four are at Monterey's Museum of Art.

Gottardo Piazzoni was born in 1872 in Switzerland. His father preceded the family, preparing the way for their immigration. They built a dairy ranch in the Carmel Valley of California where Gottardo developed a passion for the area's beauty. His early inclinations toward art lead to studies at the California School of Design in San Francisco, where he studied with Arthur Mathews and Raymond D. Yelland. He furthered his studies in Paris at the

The loggia of the San Francisco Library

Academie Julian and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. In 1907, he returned to San Francisco the year after the great Quake of '06, establishing his San Francisco studio and his teaching career at the California School of Fine Arts. He was very willing to add his voice to those seeking to rebuild San Francisco, becoming an enthusiast of bringing the best of the arts and architecture to the task.

The original ten murals for the San Francisco Library were done in 1932. The final four were done in 1945. In these works, he distilled nature to its most refined essence. The murals entitled Night, Dawn, The Forest, and The Mountain all convey an aura of tranquility, transcendent in the natural environment. Piazzoni was a tonalist, interpreting his subject in muted tones and misty forms, all meant to capture the atmospheric spirituality of nature.

With its close proximity to the Carmel Valley, and being located in one of the most scenic corners of California, the Monterey Museum of Art is a fitting home for these visions from California's past.

E. Michael Whittington, Executive Director of the Monterey Museum of Art, gives a video preview of a previous exhibit hosted by the Monterey Museum
entitled Art Land and Sea which features many of the same paintings which are part of their current The Art of California 1880 to the Present.

Also showing at the Monterey Museum of Art are three exhibitions, The Art of California, 1880 to the Present, California Artists and Portraiture, and Adams & Weston and the Masters of California Photography. The museum allowed photography of the painting exhibits, but not of their photography exhibits. Here are some photo images of what we saw.

Among these were some striking works by E. Charleton Fortune, Armin Hansen, Francis McComas, William Ritschel, Margaret Bruton, and Jules Tavernier.

E. Charleton Fortune 1885-1969 She didn't like her given name, Euphemia, and her friends knew her as Effie. She signed her paintings "Charleton," her grandmother's family name. She had inherited a cleft palette, a deformity she was told she would pass on to her children, and this probably figured in her decision never to marry. She was a devout Catholic and in the mid 1930's abandoned her easel to pursue ecclesiastical arts, decorating Catholic churches with paintings and mosaics.

Armin Hansen 1886 - 1957 He is quoted as saying "Every move I have made and everything that I have done has always been to

E. Charleton Fortune Santa Barbara Mission

go back to the water and to the men who gave it romance. I love them all." After studies in San Francisco and Germany, he came to settle in Monterey and taught classes for the Carmel Art Institute. Today, he is considered an important figure in American Art, and is known best for his etchings and paintings of marines, coastal scenes, and the fishing industry of the Monterey Peninsula.

Armin Hansen Men of the Sea

Francis McComas Cypress Monterey

Francis John McComas 1875-1938 He was born an Australian, in Tasmania. He first studied art in Sydney. In 1898, he worked as a merchant seaman to get to San Francisco. He studied with Arthur Mathews at the Mark Hopkins Institute, and then in Paris at the Académie Julian. Prior to settling in Carmel, he spent time in New

Mexico. Today he is known for his landscapes of California oaks and cypresses and his Indian subjects.
William (Wilhelm) Frederick Ritschel 1864-1949 He was born in Nuremberg, Germany. As a youth, he worked as a sailor, and prior to moving to New York as a thirty year old, he studied art in Munich. He immediately took root in the American art scene, developing close associations with Childe Hassam, J. Alden Weir, Edward Redfield, and Willard Metcalf, and other impressionists. He became a member of the Salmagundi Club and the New York Watercolor Society.

William Ritschel Centurions of the Sea

William Ritschel Winter Morning East River

In 1901, he moved westward, stopping in Arizona to paint the Grand Canyon and to spend time with the Navajo. In 1911, he settled in Carmel. From his base in Carmel, he often traveled and

William Ritschel Smithsonian Collection

Margaret Bruton Barns Along Cass Street

truly loved trips to the South Seas. In 1918, he built a studio-home called The Castle, strikingly located aside the ocean he loved. He was widely exhibited and his paintings reside in many museums across the country, including the Art Institute of Chicago and the Smithsonian.

Margaret Bruton 1894-1983 Margaret grew up in San Francisco and showed her artistic talents early on. She pursued art studies at the Mark Hopkins Institute under Frank Van Sloun. She earned a scholarship which allowed her to head to New York and study at the Art Students League under Vincent Dumond and Robert Henri. After four years in New York, she returned to San Francisco and studied with Monterey's Armin Hansen. She moved to Monterey in 1924. In 1925 she accompanied her sisters to Paris where she studied at the Academie de la Grand Chaumiere. When she returned to California, she was given a solo exhibition at the Beaux Arts Gallery in San Francisco. In 1929, she visited New Mexico painting Indian portraits.

Jules Tavernier 1844 - 1889 Like the volcano he loved to paint, his life erupted with a steady flow of light and heat, all cast with the atmospherics of talent mixed with passion and a daring manner. But like eruptions, they begin and end, and in some cases, don't last too long.

His life began full of promise. He was born in France of an English father and French mother. He lived in both England and France, having studied art in Paris and exhibiting when only twenty years old at the Paris Salon of 1864.

He had interests and passions beyond art. He was a volunteer for the Franco-Prussian War. After the war, he used his English citizenship to work as an illustrator in London. He then moved on to New York, gaining a position as an illustrator for Harpers Magazine and his entree onto the western American scene.

Jules Tavernier Halemaumau Crater Kilauea, Hawaii

His position with Harpers allowed him an opportunity to spend time in Missouri, Texas, Colorado, Nebraska, and Utah before arriving in San Francisco in 1774. In 1975, he was among the founding members of the Bohemian Club, and was Vice President of the San Francisco Art Association. In 1876, he built a studio in Monterey. By 1879, bad habits of drinking and indebtedness took root in his life, ruining his marriage. He returned to San Francisco where he shared a studio with Julian Rix. From his San Francisco base, he ventured out to British Columbia and the Sierra.

By 1884, Jules tried to escape his financial problems by setting sail for Hawaii. In Hawaii, he shared studio space with Joseph Strong. Strong took Jules along to the Big Island and introduced him to the Kilauea Volcano. Jules' paintings of the volcano received rave receptions. He along with Charles Furneaux 1885-1913 became the founders of the Volcano School. He also painted in the area around Hilo, focusing on waterfalls, and it was through these paintings that many Americans came to know of the beauty and majesty of the Hawaiian Islands.

But again his drinking and his debts were a problem. He was befriended by Honolulu's Hitchcock family. Their son David was a disciple of Jules, and today is recognized as one of the great painters of the Volcano School. In 1889 just 45 years after his birth in France, Jules Tavernier died of alcoholism in his studio on Hotel Street in Honolulu. Upon hearing of his death in California, his friends in the Bohemian Club sent a marker for his grave.

The Monterey Museum of Art's California Artists and Portraiture has portraits and self portraits drawn from the museum's collection, many from artists far better known for their landscapes. For lovers of portraiture, this is a must.

One of the most compelling examples is this work by Mabel Alvarez 1891-1985. Mabel was born on Oahu and came to California after her family sold their land in Honolulu. Mabel's family was quite quite accomplished. Her father was a Spanish physician who was the private doctor for Queen Liluokalani and her husband. Her mother's family were notable musicians in the St. Paul, Minnesota, area, and her brother, Dr. Walter Alvarez, was one of the founders of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Her nephew worked on the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, and won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1968.

Her wealthy background allowed her the freedom to pursue her art. At age 14, she studied under William Cahill. She produced a mural for the Pan-Californian Exposition in San Diego where she won a gold medal. One of her charcoal portraits was used for her art school's promotional brochure, and her self portrait was used on the cover of Independent Spirits, a book about women artists published by the Autry Museum. She enjoyed doing cheerful paintings and was commissioned by Samuel Goodwyn and Irving Berlin to do portraits of their children.

In 1931, she met Morgan Russell, co-founder of the Synchromy art movement. He became Mabel's teacher, and guided her in the

direction of Matisse and Cezanne, using joyous color and rhythmic form structured with natural tendencies.

After her father died in 1937, she returned to Hawaii where she did portraits, figure studies and still lifes. In the 1950's she visited the Caribbean and began using brighter colors in tropical genre scenes. A later trip to Mexico reinforced these ideas of a brighter palette. In her later years, she turned to more religious and symbolic subjects. Her works reside in the Art Institute of Chicago and the Los Angeles County Museum. She died at age 94 in Los Angeles. Back to the Top

We regret to report that this marvelous exhibit has just closed, but if you've not yet encountered the extraordinary paintings of Mari Kloeppel, here is some of what we saw.

When just twenty-six years old, Mari Koeppel was in critical condition and blinded temporarily after being crushed by her 1,000 lb. pet Arabian horse named Cobahsaan. But after a long recovery and therapy, Mari fought her way back to health. Previously, she considered training for a career as a veterinarian, but while recovering from her accident with Cobahsaan, she had an epiphany and dedicated her life to painting animal portraits.

Cobahsaan was just one of her animal friends. The great Arabian was Mari’s close companion for almost thirty years. Today, Mari maintains her home and studio near Elkhorn Slough close to Monterey Bay surrounded by rescued dogs, cats, a variety of fowl and horses. She believes that a close relationship with animals is one of the true joys of life.

Mari’s interest in art began early on. When she was small, she would make detailed and intricate drawings. She studied at San Jose State and Sheffield Polytechnic University in England. She continued her studies in a graduate program in Germany, giving her enriched backgrounds in art criticism and scholarship.

Two Brown Pelicans on the Beach, 2008 oil on linen, 30 x 55
collection of Michael and Jan Praisner

Her artistic inspiration is rooted in the old world color and detail of Jan Van Eyck, Albrect Durer and Johannes Vermeer. But from that old world inspiration her work portrays animals with personalities, thoughts, and even senses of humor. Many of these animals, especially her late friend Cobahsaan, have become the muses of her artistic life.

Her animal portraits merge her artistic talents and her life long passion for animals. Her portraits give each of her animal subjects personality and temperament, showing intimate characteristics of each.

The effects in her paintings are purposeful and achieved with a painstakingly long process. She begins with large, loose chalk drawings. She then adds washes of color, and upon that she builds layers upon layers of small strokes. She uses tiny brushes throughout, and can work as long as a year on one painting. As she prepares for a painting, she references skeletal remains, learning the underlying anatomy and structure. As the painting proceeds she adds detail resulting in an image as revealing as any renaissance portrait.

107 Years Ago, like many artists, A young, but accomplished Maynard Dixon endured the rigors of self-promotion

Photo of Maynard Dixon, 1903

Its hard to imagine him young, without mustache and goatee, but the old master of California Desert Painting had to

endure the rigors of self promotion. 107 Years Ago, a year and a half before the San Francisco Quake of 1906, a twenty-nine year old Maynard Dixon is not in the desert where he would prefer to be. He was already an accomplished artist of note, and had become a champion for the cause and the dignity of native

American culture. But this article finds Maynard Dixon in San Francisco providing an exhibition for San Francisco's high society in the green room of the St. Francis Hotel and being labeled a "clever chap" by the San Francisco Call. Here's the text from the SF Call as it was appeared in 1904.

Tomorrow night the Sequoia club will bid "how-de-do" to itself and its friends, who will foregather beneath the clubs own rooftree at the St. Francis. Some mighty interesting people will be guest at this first of a series of Tuesday "at home," among whom is Gertrude Atherton, the most famous Californian of her day. The night will be doubly auspicious for Maynard Dixon will exhibit his sketches and drawings in the green room, where the general public may view them on Wednesday afternoon and ever afternoon and evening thereafter until Sunday.

The exhibit will include the sketches and paintings done recently by this clever chap, who knows the desert and its denizens as intimately as does Mary Austin, who paints in words the story of the great gray waste.

Dixon's Indians are winning recognition in the critical East, even as in his own big West, largely through the posters done by him for Sunset Magazine, showing indisputable boldness of treatment and a deep insight into the aboriginal character. In his "Blanketed Navajo," drawn for a Sunset cover some months ago, he won much attention from Eastern folk. In this drawing is writ the whole tale of the red man's wrongs -- his hopelessness and his calm resignation to his fate.

One of Maynard Dixon's Drawings
to be shown "this week" at the St. Francis"

One of the vital functions of the Sequoia Club is the greeting to famous visitors -- and a guarantee that they shall not be bored goes with the invitation to be present. As a matter of fact, the club is said to be an uncomfortable place for bores., be they men or women.

With Mrs. Elizabeth Gerberding as secretary,Charles Sedgqick Aiken president and a strong board of directors the Sequoia starts out upon a promising winter, with many interesting stunts up its sleeve. Already the green room is becoming a famous tea-table tryst, which will be tripled in popularity by the Dixon exhibit of the week.

Linda Sorensen's studio is located below the Terrapin Creek Cafe and the Local Color Gallery. Most weekends, she can be found there painting "Open Studio", but it's best to call 707-875-2911 to make certain she'll be available. You may see many of her works at Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery, or click on her website, LindaSorensenPaintings.com

Douglas Morgan Colorful Plaza

Sonoma's Fairmont Gallery will host an exhibition of the
Wine Country Plein Air Invitational Exhibition, 2011
September 17 - October 17

The Ren Brown Collection
Established in 1989 and specializes in contemporary art from both sides of the Pacific. We offer rotating exhibits throughout the year. A major focus is modern Japanese prints. Some of the world-famous artists from Japan are SHINODA Toko, TANAKA Ryohei, NAKAYAMA Tadashi, and Daniel KELLY. These woodblock, lithograph and etching prints may be abstract or representational, and often include handmade paper.http://www.renbrown.com | Back to the Top

IN Santa Rosa The Annex Galleries specializing in 19th, 20th, and 21st century
American and European fine printsThe Annex Galleries is a member of the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA).http://www.AnnexGalleries.com| Back to the Top

Lee Youngman

IN CALISTOGA the Lee Youngman Gallery
Featuring the work of contemporary painter Paul Youngman,
and the works of famed painter, Ralph Love (1907-1992)

New paintings alert ... works by Linda Glover Gooch and Kristine Pallas

IN VALLEY FORD West County DesignWest County Design provides an unexpected center of artistic sophistication in the charming town of Valley Ford in West Sonoma County. The business serves as a showroom for Bohemian Stoneworks, Current Carpets and Craig Collins Furniture. The gallery also showcases local artisans and quality furnishings for home and business.Bohemian Stoneworks, Current Carpets and Craig Collins Furniture are known for collaborating closely with both business and residential clients and designers from concept to installation. The result is uniquely personal and functional pieces that reflect our clients’ personalities and needs(Across from the Valley Ford Hotel and its famed Rocker Oysterfeller's Restaurant)http://www.westcountydesign.com |Back to the Top

IN PETALUMAVintage Bank AntiquesVintage Bank Antiques is located in Historic Downtown Petaluma, corner of Western Avenue and Petaluma Blvd. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Warren Davis and the rest of the team at Vintage Bank Antiques has assembled a spectacular inventory of paintings. From the 18th Century to Contemporary Artists. We have paintings to suit every price point and collector level.
If you have a painting for sale, please consider Vintage Bank Antiques. Contact Warren Davis directly at WarrenDavisPaintings@yahoo.com101 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma, CA 94952, ph: 707.769.3097http://vintagebankantiques.com | Back to the Top

IN PETALUMAPetaluma Arts Council"... to celebrate local artists and their contributions and involve the whole communityAnonymous: 19th and 20th Century Photographs and Quilts
by Unknown Artists from the Collection of Robert Flynn Johnson
August 5 to September 18, Opening Reception – August 13 from 4pm to 7pmhttp://www.petalumaartscouncil.org |Back to the Top

The Walt Disney Family Museum tickets available onlineThe WDFM tells Walt's story from his early days through the creation of his famed "Mouse Factory" and the Magic Kingdom. Displays superbly present pre-computerized animation, explaining the artistic, technical, and imaginative processes, Well Worth a Visit!
Film of the Month: August 1-August 31The Absent-Minded Professor1:00pm and 4:00pm (daily except Tuesdays, and Saturday August 13
"Flubber, a flying rubber substance
created by the professor comes to the rescue."

San Franciscode Young MuseumPicasso
from Musée National Picasso, Paris
through September 25, 2011

BolinasBolinas Museumfeaturing their permanent collection,
including Ludmilla and Thadeus Welch, Arthur William Best, Jack Wisby, Russell Chatham, Alfred Farnsworth.(thumbnail to the right ... a portion of
Elizabeth Holland McDaniel's Bolinas Embarcadero,
the green roof building on Wharf Street is the Bolinas Museum)

San Jose San Jose Museum of Artapproximately 2,000 20th & 21st century artworks including paintings, sculptur, new media, photography, drawings, prints, and artist books.The Bible Illuminated: R. Crumb's Book of Genesis
through September 25, 2011Comic aficionados know Robert Crumb as the grandfather of the groundbreaking underground “commix” movement in San Francisco.

Sacramento
Crocker Art MuseumSummer of Impressionism"Transcending Vision: American Impressionism, 1870–1940"through Sep 25"Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism"through Sep 18"Gardens and Grandeur:
Porcelains and Painting by Franz A. Bischoff"
through Oct 23

Palm Springs
Palm Springs Art MuseumSimply Masterful: Picasso and Artists of the Modern EraThrough Sept 4, McCALLUM WINGWestern and Native American Art
from the Permanent Collection
06.22.11 - 10.02.11
DENNEY WESTERN AMERICAN ART WINGReopening with new selections October 18, 2011

Atlanta, GA High Museum of ArtThe American collection ... paintings by William Merritt Chase, Henry Ossawa Tanner, John Twachtman and Childe Hassam. It includes landscapes by Hudson River School artists, figure paintings by Henry Inman and John Singer Sargent, and still-life paintings by John Frederick Peto, William Michael Harnett and William Mason Brown.